Knock-down drawer construction



May 12, 1970' c. HILFINGER ET AL 3,511,550

KNOCK-"DOWN DRAWER CONSTRUCTION H Filed Oct. 4, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 15 5 Z vii '5 L7 60 Z0 72 f4 66 64 'K 56 62 mvmffims: 5/ m 5 {2 5501252DHILFJNGER,

BY X2: Z7. JUHNSCN.

ATTYS.

May 12, 1970 6. cl HILFINGER ET L 3,511,550

KNOCK-DOWN DRAWER CONSTRUCTION H Filed Oct. 4, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I/4 i4 24 i 36 72- k f6 f4+ T b E C HINVENTORS Ii 7 D.

ATTYS.

United States Patent US. Cl. 312330 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREThis invention relates to a drawer construction primarily intended foruse with kitchen cabinets and the like. The drawer has a one-pieceextruded strip forming the back and sides of the drawer body with aseparate central bottom panel engaged with grooves in the lower portionof the strip. The strip also has an outwardlyextending stiffening flangeat the upper edge to provide maximum rigidity with minimum thickness forthe drawer. The drawer front has a central panel with a metal framewhich extends rearwardly beyond the panel and cooperates with a separatelower supporting member which engages and supports the front edge of thedrawer bottom. The drawer construction enables the drawer components tobe shipped in a flat, knocked-down condition and then to be capable ofquick and easy assembly with a minimum of skill.

This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application,Ser. No. 622,495 filed Mar. 13, 1967, now Pat. No. 3,416,850.

This invention relates to a drawer construction and particularly to adrawer construction of a knock-down type.

The drawer in accordance with the present construction is durable yetinexpensive and can be stored and shipped to the consumer in aknocked-down, flat condition. The drawer can be easily constructed,however, by the consumer with a minimum amount of time and skillrequired. The new drawer includes an extruded metal strip having scoreor bend lines thereon to facilitate bending of the strip to form sidesand an integral back for the drawer body. A separate drawer bottom isthen assembled with flanges of the strip, and ends of the drawer sidesare fastened to the back of a drawer front to complete the assembly. Thedrawer front consists of a metal frame with a separate central panelwhich is particularly effective in matching doors of kitchen cabinetswith which the drawers can be employed. As such, the assemblage isparticularly effective for kitchens. A separate front edge support forthe drawer bottom also can be employed without requiring any additionalfasteners or other assembly steps.

The metal frame of the front panel can be either of a one-piece die-castconstruction, a four-piece construction consisting of two end die-castmembers and two upper and lower extruded frame members, or an eightpiececonstruction consisting of four die-cast corner members and fourextruded frame members. All of these provide a durable drawer and whichis used primarily depends upon the number of units to be manufacturedand sold. The eight-piece construction is more suitable for smallerquantities and the one-piece construction is preferred for largerquantities wherein die costs can be adequately amortized. Since mostdrawers are of a single height or two heights at the most, thefour-piece construction with the two die-cast end frame members isparticularly advantageous since the one die casting will accommodatemost drawer fronts and the extruded upper and lower frame members can becut to any desired length.

In summary, the invention consists of a drawer construction having sidesand a back integrally formed from a single extruded strip. The strip haslower flanges forming an inwardly-facing groove and an upper stiffeningflange projecting outwardly. The drawer front includes a frame whichpreferably consists of four pieces, with a central, separate panel. Afront drawer bottom support engages the front edge of the drawer bottomand supports it through the metal frame of the drawer front.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide aunique drawer construction having the features and advantages outlinedabove.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof,reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view in perspective of part of a drawer bodyembodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an extruded strip used to form the sides andback of the drawer, when bent to the position shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 3 is a View in elevation of the strip of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view in cross section taken along the line 44 ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view in horizontal cross section of an assembleddrawer embodying the invention;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view in vertical cross section of the drawer ofFIG. 5, and showing a portion of a frame with which the drawer can beused; and

FIG. 7 is a view in perspective, with parts broken away and with partsin section, of the drawer.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1-4, an extruded metal strip 10 isemployed to form sides 12 and 14 and an integral back 16 of a body ofthe drawer. The strip 10 is of uniform cross section throughout most ofits length and includes a main panel 18, a pair of inwardly-extendinglower flanges 20 and 22 spaced apart a predetermined distance, and anupper, outwardly-extending stiffening flange 24. As shown in FIGS. 2 and3, the lower flanges 20 and 22 are cut to form V-shaped notches 26 and28 as well as notches 30 and 32, with the two pair of notches beingsymmetrically spaced from the ends of the strip and spaced from eachother a distance equal to the length of the drawer back 16. The panel18, at the positions of the two pair of notches, is machined to formshallow grooves or score lines 34 and 36 with the notches and scorelines being aligned perpendicularly to the longitudinal extent of thestrip 10. The stiffening flange 24, extending in the opposite directionfrom the lower flanges, also is cut to form V-shaped notches 38 and 40,as shown in FIG. 2, in alignment with the other notches and score lines.The three notches and score lines in each of the two positionsfacilitate bending of the outer portions of the strips 12 to positionsperpendicular to the intermediate portion, as shown in dotted lines inFIG. 2, to form the sides 12 and 14 and the back 16 of FIG. 1.

In the manufacture of the strip 10, and portions are shaped into endflanges 42 and 44 bent outwardly from the plane of the panels 18. Toaccomplish this, the ends of the lower flanges 20 and 22 are removed fora distance equal to the width of the flanges 42 and 44 and the ends ofthe stiffening flanges 24 are similarly removed. The remaining portionsof the panel are then bent perpendicularly to the plane of the mainpanel 18 to form the flanges 42 and 44. The flanges 42 and 44 haveelongate upper and lower openings 46 and 48 therein for attachment to adrawer front to be discussed subsequently.

After the strip 10 is bent to form the sides 12 and 14 and the back 16,as shown in FIG. 1, a drawer bottom 50 (FIGS. -7) is slid into groovesor channels 51 formed by the lower flanges 20 and 22. The distancebetween the flanges 20 and 22 is preferably slightly in excess of thethickness of the drawer bottom 50 to enable the drawer bottom to slideinto place and yet be held snugly relative to the strip 10. The drawerbottom can be made of hardboard or plywood with a suitable protectiveand decorative upper sheet thereon, if desired. With the bottom 50 inposition in the grooves, a front edge thereof lies substantially in theplane of the end flanges 42 and 44, although it can be slightly recessedfrom the plane.

A drawer front indicated at 52 in FIGS. 5-7 is then assembled with thestrip 10. The drawer front basically comprises a metal frame 54 and acentral, separate panel 56 as disclosed in our co-pending application,Ser. No. 622,495. The metal frame 54 preferably includes two die-castend frame members 58 and 60 which connect two upper (FIG. 6) and lowerextruded frame members 62 and 64 by means of tongues 66 and 68 (FIG. 5),which are frictionally received in the ends of the extruded framemembers. The panel 56 is clamped in place with respect to the frame byfour fasteners or screws 70 which extend through the end flanges 42 and44 and into bosses 72 and 74 in the end frame members 58 and 60. Thepanel 56 has openings 76 and 78 (FIG. 5) which are large enough toreceive the ends of the bosses 72 and 74. Outer flat portions of thepanel 56 are then held snugly against inner flanges 80 of the end framemembers 58 and 60 and inner flanges 82 of the upper and lower framemembers 62 and 64 by means of the end flanges 42 and 44 pressing againstthe back of the panel. With the panel in place, outer flanges 84 and 86(FIG. 5) of the end frame members 58 and 60 and outer flanges 88 and 90(FIG. 6) of the upper and lower extruded frame members 62 and 64 extendsubstantially to the rear surface of the panel 56 and preferably beyond,as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

With the above design, the outer flanges 8490 of the metal frame 54 canabut the cabinet frame when the drawer is closed without the heads ofthe fasteners 70 hitting the frame. Also, the lower outer flange 90 ofFIG. 6 provides a supporting shelf for a lower supporting strip 92(FIGS. 1 and 6). The supporting strip includes a pair of flanges 94 and96 which are spaced apart the same distance as the lower flanges 20 and22 of the strip and snugly engage the front edge of the drawer bot tompanel 50. The supporting strip 92 further has a depending flange 98, thelower end of which rests on the lower frame flange 90 through which thefront edge portion of the drawer bottom 50 is supported. This isparticularly an advantageous feature of the invention for wider drawers.Further, the depending flange 98 has a break line or groove 160extending longitudinally thereof at an intermediate portion to enablethe lower extremity of the flange 98 to be broken away for shallowerdrawers, in which case the edge formed at the break line 100 rests onthe flange 90 of the drawer front, The length of the supporting strip 92preferably is equal to the length of the drawer back 16 less double thewidth of the flanges and 22, in order to extend completely between theflanges and fully support the front edge of the drawer.

The drawer components, when shipped in knockeddown form, preferably alsoinclude components to support the drawer relative to a front frame ofthe cabinet. For this purpose, a tail wheel assembly 102 including atail wheel 1'04 and a bracket 106 is fastened to the back 16 after thedrawer is assembled. The back 16 can have pre-drilled openings 108therein through which fasteners 110 are extended to hold a bracketflange 112- of the bracket 106.

The tail wheel 104 is carried in a C-shaped channel member or track 114which extends parallel to the path of the drawer when being opened andclosed, and is located therebelow. The rear end of the channel 114 canbe supported by a plastic bracket 116 which is also included with thekit and which is fastened to a back wall 118 of the cabinet which couldalso be an existing wall of the kitchen located behind the cabinet, ifthe cabinet does not have a back of its own. The channel 114 has a frontend hook 120 which is carried by a metal bracket 122 held by a crossframe member 124. A pair of side, flanged wheels 126 contact the lowerflanges 22 of the sides 12 and 14 to support the drawer forwardly of thetail wheel 104. The flanged wheels 126 can be rotatably mounted onsuitable brackets 128 which are then suitably affixed to the framemember 124 or to vertical frame members for the cabinet. The frontwheels 126 and brackets 128 can also be included in the drawer kit.

From the above, it will be seen that the drawer construction embodyingthe invention has many advantages. The drawer components can be shippedin a flat state and the drawer body easily formed to shape and assembledwith the drawer bottom and the drawer front. The roller supportingassembly also can be installed relatively easily.

Many modifications of the above-described embodiment of the inventionwill be apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is understood thatsuch modifications can be made without departing from the scope of theinvention, the one embodiment being shown for illustrative purposes.

We claim:

1. A drawer comprising a strip of extruded material having a panel, apair of inwardly-extending flanges at a lower edge thereof, whichflanges are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thicknessof a drawer bottom, said strip having an outwardly-extending flange atthe upper edge thereof, said strip having bend line means spaced apart adistance substantially equal to the length of the drawer back, said bendmeans comprising notches in said lower flanges, a notch in the upperflange. and a shallow groove on the same side of the strip as said lowerflanges extending over the width of said panel between said lowerflanges and the upper edge, said notches and said groove lying on asubstantially common line perpendicular to the longitudinal extent ofsaid strip, said strip being bent along both of said bend means toperpendicular angles to form side walls and a back for said drawer, theends of said strip having flanges extending perpendicularly to saidstrip and substantially the width thereof except for those portions ofthe strip at the upper and lower flanges, a drawer bottom having edgesreceived between all of said inwardly-extending lower flanges, a drawerfront, and fasteners extending through openings in said end flanges andengaged with said drawer front.

2. A drawer according to claim 1 characterized by said drawer frontcomprising a front panel and a separate frame extending therearound,said frame having means to receive said fasteners and hold said frontpanel between said end flanges and said frame.

3. A drawer according to claim 1 characterized by said end flanges ofsaid strip extending outwardly away from one another and said openingsof said end flanges being elongate in a vertical direction.

4. A drawer according to claim 1 characterized further by a separatesupporting member engaging a front edge portion of said drawer bottomand in turn supported by said drawer front.

5. A drawer comprising two side walls and a rear wall, said walls havinggroove means at lower edge portions thereof, a drawer bottom received insaid groove means, said drawer bottom having a length substantiallyequal to the lengths of said side walls and terminating substantially inthe same plane as the ends of said side walls, a drawer front fastenedto the ends of said side -walls, said drawer front having lower flangemeans extending rearwardly beyond a plane through said side wall ends,and means supported on said lower flange means extending rearwardlybeyond a plane through said side wall ends, and means supported on saidlower flange means and engageable with the front edge of said drawerbottom to provide support for said drawer bottom through said lowerflange means.

6. A drawer according to claim 5 characterized by said support meanshaving a groove receiving the front edge of said drawer bottom andhaving depending means engageable with said lower flange means.

7. A drawer comprising two side walls and an integral rear wall, abottom, and a front, said front comprising a central panel having atleast an outer flat portion of substantially uniform thickness extendingaround the entire periphery, a metal frame around said panel andseparate from said panel, said frame comprising four frame membersincluding two side frame members, an upper frame member, and a lowerframe member, each of said frame members having means contacting saidflat portion of said panel, and having an integral outer flange, andmeans fastening said side walls of said drawer to said front.

8. A drawer according to claim 7 characterized in that said two sideframe members are of die-cast metal.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,818,102 8/1931 Snyder 2172 X1,873,933 8/1932 Hunter 312330 2,069,668 2/1937 Flint 217-2 2,274,765 3/1942 Zalkind 3 12-25 8 2,701,174 2/1955 Franks 312330 X 3,273,952 9/1966 Himelreich et a1. 312-330 3,312,516 4/1967 Krahn 312330 JAMES T.MCCALL, Primary Examiner U- E C X-R. 217-2 @2 3 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent 3,511.55!) Dated Mav 12, 1970 Inventor( George C. Hilfinger, XaD. Johnson It: is certified that error appears in the above-identifiedpatent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In Column 2, line 60, change"and" to read end-;

In Column 5, claim 5, lines 2 through 4, delete the following:after"means": "extending rearwardly beyond a plane through said side wallends, and means supported on said lower flange means".

SIGNED AND SEALED sips-m (SEAL) WILLIAM E. .H" m, EdmdlLFlmherJr.Gonnisaionar of Patents Officer

